An overlooked gem by the great Charlie Rich – an album recorded for Hi Records in the years before he broke big on Columbia in the late 60s – but at a level that certainly points the way towards his country fame to come! And yet, as with most of the best music by Rich – like his stunning Smash Records sides – there's a quality here that's quite far from both the mainstream, and conventional modes of expression – as Charlie almost seems to be drawing as much on soul music for inspiration as he is the sounds of Nashville – which might almost put this album in the territory of classic country soul material by singers like Ray Charles or Brook Benton. The whole thing's a perfect setting for that unique combination of talents that makes Rich so wonderful – and most tracks are Hank Williams hits, but redone completely. Titles include "I Can't Help It", "My Heart Would Know", "Take These Chains From My Heart", "Your Cheatin Heart", "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", "Cold Cold Heart", and "Nobody's Lonesome For Me". (Folk/Country, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Great work by one of the most compelling groups in the Kama Sutra bubble gum stable! Sopwith Camel always seemed a bit headier than their contemporaries – part Spanky & Our Gang type pop, part long-haired hipster rock – handled with some introspective touches that almost feel like Leonard Cohen at times. This early album's hard to describe, but it's a lost pop gem – and one of those west coast late 60s sides that make you realize that there was a heck of a lot of great music that got lost in the shuffle of the summer of love! Titles include "Walk In The Park", "Postcard From Jamaica", "Cellophane Woman", "Maybe In A Dream", "Saga Of The Low Down Let Down", "Hello Hello", and "Frantic Desolation". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost jazz gem from guitarist Chris Spedding – a musician whose work was such a key component of many other important albums from the time, but who hardly ever made a record like this! The album's much more jazz than the rock you might normally expect from Spedding – strongly linked to his sessions with players like Mike Westbrook, Ian Carr, or Frank Ricotti – with an all-instrumental approach that's spun out on some beautiful extended tracks! Chris plays both acoustic and electric guitar, but the album's really a full group effort – and features material by Roger Potter on bass, John Mitchell on acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes, Paul Rutherford on trombone, and John Marshall on drums. There's a moody, understated vibe to the record – never jamming at all, and this very introspective side of Spedding that we really love. For some reason, although the set was recorded for the Harvest label in 1970, Spedding didn't want it issued at the time – and it initially was only released in Japan. Titles include "Plain Song", "Station Song", "Song Of The Deep", "The Forest Of Fables", and "New Song Of Experience". CD

A full-on jazz rock spectacular – done with a style that's a lot like some of the best British projects of this type from the time, but recorded in Las Vegas, with a lineup of American players that includes guitarist Dean Parks, trumpeter Bobby Shew, and tenorist Don Menza! The album's got a really rumbling bassy feel – kicking ass with a rock-based bottom, but coming across with a surprisingly jazzy sound overall! There's strong solos on nearly every track, and the album (unlike many of its contemporaries) doesn't feature any vocals at all – which means that you can keep in the groove without getting sidetracked by any weak singing! Titles include "Acid West", "Keep On Burnin", "Never In My Life", "Clown", "Sin's A Good Man's Brother", and "Rice Pudding". (Jazz, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

Instrumental guitar great William Tyler's second album under his own name, and his first for indie powerhouse Merge Records – and it's an exceptionally beautiful piece of work from a player who's really just getting started! Tyler strikes a youthful presense, but he's actually been playing around a lot behind the scenes – as a studio and/or touring guitarist for Lambchop, Candi Staton, Charlie Louvin and others wise enough to record with producer Mark Nevers – who works on this record, too. Tyler is definitely inspired by finger style folk guitarists from the mid 20th Century onward, but he's also got a hypnotic style that feels like it's inspired by more atmospheric country rock and rustic 70s soundtracks. Here he's mixing it all it into a brilliant style all his own, and it's SO good. Guest musicians include fellow youthful Nashville string genius Chris Scruggs, drummer Scott Martin, steel player Luke Schneider and Roy Agee on trombone. Includes "Country Of Illusion", "The Geography Of Nowhere", "Cadillac Desert", "We Can't Go Home Again", "A Portrait Of Sarah", "Hotel Catatonia", "The Last Residents Of Westfall" and "The World Set Free". CD

A huge run of music from this legendary psychedelic band – all served up here in a single set! First up is their Part 1 album – the initial uttering from the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band – a group with a heady sound that definitely lives up to their name! There's less "pop art" going on here than just trippy psych – served up at a level that makes the group one of the best bigger label examples of the style at the time – and definitely a lot more edgey than some of their labelmates on Warner. Jimmy Bowen produced, but really keeps all the edges intact – and titles include the completely insane "Help I'm A Rock" (actually about a rock calling for help!) – plus "Shifting Sands", "1906", "Transparent Day", "Here's Where You Belong", and "If You Want This Love". Next is Volume 2 – the amazing second album from this ultra-cool group – a set that's even weirder and wilder than their debut! The trio are maybe one of the few who really live up to the farthest expectations of the psych generation – as they're really open to let their minds fly in their choice of lyrics, instrumentation, and overall presentation of the record – which hardly seems the sort to yield any sort of singles at all, even though a few of the tunes are downright catchy! Instead, the whole thing's put forth as a dark statement on late 60s society – with a sound that's as heavy as the subject matter, and not afraid to really pus all the freak and fuzz as far as it can go! Quite surprising, even for the Reprise label – and tracks include "Queen Nymphet", "Tracy Had a Hard Day Sunday", "In the Arena", "Smell of Incense", "Suppose They Gave A War & No One Comes", "Overture Wcpaeb (part 2)", and "Carte Blanche" – which supposedly they were given in recording the album! Next is Child's Guide To Good & Evil, the third album in the continuing genius of the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band – a group who are certainly as experimental as their name would imply, but who can also come across with some warmer Sunshine Pop touches too! And it's that which makes the group so wonderful – the blend of freak and sweet, of fuzz and fun – all given a special shape in the studio through the genius of producer Jimmy Bowen, whose work here with Bob Markley is superb – and very much open to the best freedoms that Warner was offering its creative talents at the time! The song titles are equally superb – and titles include "A Child's Guide To Good & Evil", "Ritual #1", "Anniversary of World War III", "Eighteen Is Over The Hill", "As Kind As Summer", and "Our Drummer Always Plays In the Nude". CD 4 features 18 more bonus tracks – rare takes and alternate mixes of titles that include "Watch Yourself", "Ritual #1", "As Kind As Summer", "Eighteen Is Over The Hill", and "Until The Poorest People Have Money To Spend" – plus other tracks too. And all the other three albums are presented in both mono and stereo mixes – which makes for 84 tracks in the full set! CD

They liked things raw in Texas in the 60s – a place where garage bands often worked heavily in fuzz and freak, so much so that they often had a psychedelic current in their music! This set really lives up to that legacy, and also digs deeper than most to a source of tracks that's completely rare – the tiny Sea Ell label, which is presented here in a host of shortly-circulated singles, plus rare demo material too! CD1 features 22 tracks that comprise all the singles on the label – we think with a and b-sides for most – on work by The Coachmen, Knights Bridge, The Intruders, George Washington & The Cherry Stompers, Derby Hatville, Satyn's Children, and The Wolves. CD2 features demo material – five 1967 demos by the Smokin Bananas, plus 15 more 1966 demos by The Intruders. CD

A whole host of genre-breaking tracks from Texas impresario Augie Meyers – both an artist in the underground country rock scene, and the creative force behind the TRC label, which is showcased here in a variety of different recordings! If you know some of the important criss-crossing styles that were taking place in Austin during the mid 70s, you'll get some of the vibe here – but Augie hails from San Antonio, where the groove has maybe even more border-styled influences – served up here in a variety of tracks that really work together with a unified vibe. As always with Bear Family, the package and notes are great, and really help get at the special side of the music – presented here on 26 tracks that include "Country Groove" and "Henrietta" by Doug Sahm, "Domingo" by Denny Ezba, "Mezcal Road" by El Molino, "Meet Me In Seguin" and "Where I Belong" by Carol Meyer & The Western Head Band, "Boogie Woogie Country Girl" by Wild Man Ray Liberto, "Dynamite Woman" by Sir Douglas Quintet, "Faded Love" by Brother Al Stricklin, and the tunes "Deed To Texas", "High Texas Rider", "Sun Shines Down On Me In Texas", "Just Because", "Wedding Bells", and "Why Don't We Make Love Like We Used To" by Augie Meyers. (Folk/Country, Rock) CD

The Kay Bank studios were located in the Twin Cities during the 60s – quite far from the oceans on both coasts, and even from the Great Lakes mentioned in the title – yet that didn't stop them from turning out a surprisingly great array of surf rock singles at the time! The music here resonates strongly with both the warmer surf instrumentals down in Cali, and some of the guitar instrumentals from the Pacific Northwest – recorded with just the right amount of echo to bring out the best in the driving guitar lines and bass – and often urged on strongly by some mighty nice drums! As you can guess, the tracks within are plenty rare – and although a few were issued as small indie label singles, most of the material here never came out at the time – served up in a set of tracks that includes "Disintegration" by The Readymen, "Caliente" by The Marauders, "Heaven's Devil" by The Boss Tweeds, "Girl Don't Tell Me" by The Satisfactions, "Za Boo" by The Valients, "Bird Gasp 65" by The Trashmen, "Little Queenie (inst)" by The Furys, "Surf Beat" by The Chancellors, and "80 Foot Wave" by The Vaqueros. LP, Vinyl record album

The Kay Bank studios were located in the Twin Cities during the 60s – quite far from the oceans on both coasts, and even from the Great Lakes mentioned in the title – yet that didn't stop them from turning out a surprisingly great array of surf rock singles at the time! The music here resonates strongly with both the warmer surf instrumentals down in Cali, and some of the guitar instrumentals from the Pacific Northwest – recorded with just the right amount of echo to bring out the best in the driving guitar lines and bass – and often urged on strongly by some mighty nice drums! As you can guess, the tracks within are plenty rare – and although a few were issued as small indie label singles, most of the material here never came out at the time – served up in a set of tracks that includes "Disintegration" by The Readymen, "Caliente" by The Marauders, "Heaven's Devil" by The Boss Tweeds, "Girl Don't Tell Me" by The Satisfactions, "Za Boo" by The Valients, "Bird Gasp 65" by The Trashmen, "Little Queenie (inst)" by The Furys, "Surf Beat" by The Chancellors, and "80 Foot Wave" by The Vaqueros. CD features 6 more bonus tracks too! CD

Sunshine Pop is a style that's usually associated with the American west coast scene of the 60s – music that sprung up in the wake of The Beach Boys and some of the other upbeat, harmony-heavy groups of the time – yet as you'll see in this set, there was also plenty of sunshine pop coming from the UK too – some by older artists influenced by musical changes, some by very cool English groups, and some by artists who were really taking the sound and spirit in their own direction! The box tracks a great stretch in the UK scene when things were sweet and well-produced, with a really great focus on well-crafted vocals amidst lovely arrangements – never too slick or sleepy in a soft rock way – and often presented with some unique British twists that make the tunes a great change from Sunshine Pop in the US! We love it when the Grapefruit label digs into a genre we never would have explored this deeply – and the 3CD package is a wonder throughout – with 87 tracks in all, alongside a big booklet of notes – presented by a huge array of artists who include Butterscotch, Dawn Chorus, The Mirage, Design, The Zombies, Paul Ryan, Roger Webb Sound, Agincourt, The Flies, Jason Cord, Symbols, Pinkerton's Colours, Tony Rivers & The Castaways, West Coast Consortium, The Seekers, Wilson Malone Voiceband, Orange Bicycle, Ken Smart, Harmony Grass, Episode Six, and many many others! CD